Benjamin irving



B. IRVING.

Making Extracts.-

No. 64,323 Patented April 30, 1867.

Quinn rates, gaunt ffirr.

BENJAMIN IRVING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y. 7 Letters Patent 1V0. 64,323, dated April 30, 186i. I

IMPROVED PROCESS FOR OBTAINlNG TggRlliiTflAdT OF BARK FORTANNING AND OTHER SES.

Q /[It fi lnhnlc mm in in first glitters $21M mm making part at insane.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be. it known that I, BENJAMIN IRVING, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a certain new'and improved Method or Process for Obtaining the Ektract of Bark for Tanning and Other Purposes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full description of the same.

Before proceeding to describe my improved process, it'may not be considered inappropriate, as affording a Letter understanding of the nature of the invention, to state briefly the theory upon which it is based. In .the usual practice of obtaining the extract of bark for tanningpurposcs, the bark is first ground into chips by a mill, and then soaked in rats of water, totake upthe tannin, and then leached. From a series of well-tried experiments the fact has been established that this method does not give more than fifty to seventy-five per cent. of extractive matter, notwithstanding its long soaking either in cold or hot-water vats. With a view to overcome this great loss of material, and at the same time to save thcloss of time in obtaining it, of much more importance, in a financial'point of view, than the loss of material, I adopted the theory that before the bark would yield up its solvent properties, the fibre must be disintegrated, by crushing between pressurc-rolbrs, instead of grinding the bark into chips, as usually prepared for obtaining th eiftract tii'iEJfTT'lYfliiFfiims the bark becomes a mass of fibrous, sponge-like substance,rcaclily taking up the water through which it alternately passes in going through thcsucccssion of pressure-rollers, and thus brings every fibrein direct contact with the solvent properties of the water, to erhaust the barkof its tanning or extractive principles, before discharging it from the machine. v i

The nature of my invention therefore consists in thcmethod or process of treating bark for obtaining the extract thereof, for tanning and other purposes, by disintegrating the fibre of the bark by means of heated pressure-rollers and water baths, acting alternately on thci'bark by a continuous operation, whereby the bark is exhausted of its extractive matter almost instantaneously, in contradistinction to the well-known process of grinding the bark, andobtaining the extractive matter thereof by leaching.

But'to describe my invention more particularly, I will refer to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, as illustrative of the principle upon which my process is carried on, the same letters of reference, Wherever they occur, referring to like parts.

Figurcl is a right-hand side view of the machine.

Figure 2 is a lefth and side view of the same.

Figure is a longitudinal cut section of the same through the line a: 90, fig. 4.

Figure 4: is a plan view of the machine.

The operations of my process consist as follows: The slab of bark, as taken from the tree, is first th0roughly soaked in a tub or vat of water. When thus soaked, it is then subjected to pressure between a heated roller, A,.and a lower roller, 13, arranged in :1- suitable frame, C, for the purpose of expelling the extractive matter taken up by the water in this first soaking, and at the same time disintegrating the fibre of the bark, V and preparing it for a second charge of water in a trough, D, arranged immediately in advance of the roller D,

and back of a thir roller, E, on the same level with the roller 13. The top of this trough is dish-shaped, and perforated so ns to permit the water supplied to the trough by the pipe cl to keep the dish or basin always full. .lhe dish shape of the perforated top also serves the purpose of guiding the end of the slab of bark up between the rollers A and E for a second compression. In this second operation the extractive matter taken up by the water is again expelled. at the same time the bark is more thoroughly crushed, to separate the fibres of it, and thus enables the succeeding charge of orator, to which it is subjected, to act upon every fibre of the bark separately,to-hbsorb its extractive matter. The ooze or liquid extract, thus expelled from the bark, in passing betwceir the rollers A and B and A and 'E, is collected in a trough, F, arranged on the bed of the machine, underneath the rollers, and is taken from thence by a pipe, F, to any suitable receiving vessel for that purpose.

After the bark leaves the rollers A and E, it is, by means of an endless apron, G, carried through an oblong water-box, H, of some six feet in length, more or less. In its transit through this water-box, the bark is again thoroughly snturat and as the fibre of it has been completely broken up, thewater readily acts upon its separate fibres, and thus absorbs every particle of extractive matter in it. I By the time it is thus thoroughly saturated, the endless apron delivers it to the next series of compressing-rollers I and J. It is then again sub jected to compression, to expel the liquid extractive matter taken up by the water, and thus exhausts the bark of all its soluble tanning principles. The liquid extract, as it flows from these rollers, is collected in a suitable basin, K, arranged under them on the bed of the machine. To facilitate the operation of disintegrating the fibre of the bark, and at the same time to promote the solvent powers of the water in combining with its gummy constituents, the "upper rollers A and I of the two series are made hollow, and kept heated by means of steam pipes L connecting with them through their journals. To carry off any waste or condensed water in the rollers a pipe, M, is attached to the opposite ends of the journals of said rollers.

It will be obvious, from this description of my method of treating bark to obtain the extract thereof, that I combine in one consecutive operation the advantages of the solvent properties of water; second, the disintegrating properties of the crushing-rollers, to expose the internal structure of the bark to the solvent action of the water more perfectly than is possible to attain by grinding the bark; third, the softening properties of heat, to dissolve the gummy matters of the bark, to enable the water to combine more readily with its tanning principles; and fourth, a continuous operation, whereby the extract of the bark can be supplied at greatly lessened charges'than by the old process of leaching; and at the sametime in much greater quantities, from the same weight of crude bark.

Having now described my improved process, I willproceed to set forth what I claim, and desire to secure y Letters Patent:

I elaim the method of treating bark for obtaining the extract thereof, for tanning and other purposes, by

the process substantially as hereinbeiore described.

BENJAMIN IRVING.

Witnesses:

Tues. W. Johnson, C. L. Bannn'r. 

